Meet the AIR EMEA Team | Get to Know Danny

Welcome back to our ‘Meet the Team’ series and in this week’s hotseat we have Danny, whose 30+ years in the HVAC industry have been shaped by a customer-centric ethos built on technical expertise, application-led outcomes and ultimately, trust.

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So, Danny, tell us a bit about who you are and your career so far.

I’ve been in our industry for nearly 33 years, so I’ve gathered a lot of experience along the way while working for Carrier, Trane, JCI, Daikin and Aggreko.

I started as an apprentice engineer at Carrier in the early 1990s—an opportunity I obtained through connections in the industry at the time. From there, I moved into sales at Trane and progressed into sales management for London and the Home Counties.

That was a period of rapid advancement, partly driven by starting a young family and knowing I really wanted to build a career in HVAC.

Much later, I was fortunate enough to be headhunted for a role at Aggreko, which is primarily known for rental power applications. Because I had different technical experience from the typical Aggreko employee, I was able to grow quickly and develop into a global position as Head of Temperature Control, or HVAC, and Oil-Free Air.

The position allowed me to travel to Aggreko depots across North America, Europe, the Middle East and Australia, which was a phenomenal experience. The wide range of applications, customers, sectors, ambient conditions, humidity levels, power frequencies and voltage requirements meant every engagement presented new and interesting challenges. I managed a team of engineers, and our “customers” were internal stakeholders.

More recently, I spent some time as the Managing Director of a group business. It was a valuable opportunity to learn about general management and confirmed that I am much happier in a technical, hands-on, customer-facing role where I can engineer a solution that meets a customer’s technical and commercial needs.

How would you describe yourself as a salesperson?

I’d like to think I’m a bit of an all-rounder. I can communicate with people at every level, understand the problem we are trying to solve and evaluate the technical requirements of a solution. I’m also commercially competent and business-minded.

I enjoy working closely with customers and always do my best to highlight the benefits of the right solution for their particular problem, with return on investment being key to the sale.

I would also say that not every customer visit has to end in a sale. Most projects I’ve worked on have required upwards of three visits before we even started talking about price.

Ensuring that a project is handed over properly for fulfilment is also very important to me. That strength comes from my time working within operations.

What is your role at AIR EMEA, and what are you focused on?

I’ve joined the team at an exciting time, as we are in a genuine period of expansion. We’re building our European footprint while establishing a presence in the Middle East and Singapore.

Each region has different sectors and priorities, whether that’s manufacturing, mining, petrochemical refining, oil and gas or something else.

I’m drawing on the industrial experience I’ve gained over the years and applying it to what we are achieving at AIR EMEA. We’re focused on building our team, expanding our footprint and, most importantly, creating momentum and customer confidence in what we can do.

There are plenty of eyes on us right now, so our early results truly count.

What advice would you give someone just starting in this industry?

Know your stuff. Don’t rush to make yourself appear to be an expert, and don’t rely on bravado.

Your real-world expertise is what builds trust and draws customers to you—not the sales pitch. For example, some of the best salespeople I’ve ever seen are service engineers.

When someone fixes your equipment and can explain exactly what went wrong and why, you trust them completely—and you go back to them. That kind of authenticity is worth more to you and your company than any sales pitch.

How do you approach a customer’s problem?

I always start with the application, not the product. After all, a product is simply a tool.

The value lies in understanding what the solution needs to achieve, whether that’s controlling the temperature in a building, providing process cooling in manufacturing, supporting a district heating system or meeting the cooling requirements of an MRI machine. From there, you can work backwards.

If a refinery tells me that its crude oil is two degrees too warm during the summer, I need to understand several parameters before considering the optimal solution. These include the flow rate, operating hours, specific heat, plant capacity, delivery deadline, budget, cost of doing nothing and space constraints.

You can’t design the right remedy until you understand the actual problem.

Success also varies from sector to sector. Project costs must be weighed against the cost of inaction and the anticipated return on investment. Every customer has different parameters for determining an acceptable ROI.

What are your hobbies?

Since January, I’ve been going to the gym three or four times a week. It has made a real difference to me, both mentally and physically.

I’ve also delved into the science behind training, which keeps it interesting. Outside of that, I spend time with my family and do a fair bit of barbecuing—using coals, to be exact.

What do you like to watch or read?

I don’t watch much television, if I’m honest. Match of the Day is about the extent of it.

When it comes to reading, I’m a fan of nonfiction. I recently read Ben Fogle’s Up, which was a short tale made into a long story.

I’m also reading Ben Elton’s autobiography and other topical political insights. Most recently, I read No Such Thing as Society, which was brilliant. It explores the details behind the major stories of the 1980s.

Connect with Danny here: Danny Quinn MInstR | LinkedIn